2003 Saab 9-3

Comments

Read the article in Thecarconnection. The base Saab will come loaded. Leather, auto, upgrade stereo. You have to request the manual. We've gone over the hp thing. Saabs have never been boy racers. They are driver's cars. Look at the sources before jumping on me please.

I'm thinking dolphin silver, and I will be happy with the 175 hp as well. I would never use a Nav system, but I like the way saab worked it into the dash. But is liking a design trick worth whatever premium a nav will draw?

I just bought into the traditional Saab value propositions after years of owning Jagurs and getting somewhat tired of too much coziness.

I think Saab's strength is its difference, and I am not sure positioning themelves smack in the square of the industry standards with 2 4-door sedans is a good idea. I think a more avantgarde update of the hatchback theme would have made them more successful, especially now that cars like the Merc C230 are validating the concept for the $30k+ market.

If you get too industry-conform, at some point in time buyers will forget about the "brand values" you originally had, and will simply compare you 1:1 against the competition... and I am not sure people will pick a Saab over a BMW, Merc, Lex or Audi then... not because there is anything wrong with the car, but rather because it takes a while for the public to internalize the new value proposition...

My brother and I are long time Volvo fanatics (35 yrs) and currently own a '00 T6. Volvo decided to begin to evolutionize their 'look' beginning with the 850 in the early 90s, then really took off with the introduction of the S80. We are totally convinced of the rightness of this corporate change in philosophy. It is not that Volvo changed its total commitment to its core values of safety and concern for the environment. These values have NOT changed in the slightest. The Goteborg management could see the writing in the sand: the numbers must increase in order to survive and prosper. The company had to attract MORE customers. I do not find any substantial difference with what the management in Trollhattan is doing now. They need and want MORE buyers of Saabs. We think they are making the right decision. I am particularly keen on their revised look and the substantial input the engineers have done on this new platform to give it its Saab distinctiveness. The old platform and its quirky image was just that: old and not selling enough cars. Even though it is now much more in the mainstream, I think the new 9-3 has the best chance in many years of improving sales for the company, and survival IS the name of the game.

The old 9-3 was not as reliable as the 9-5. The 9-5 is a very reliable car. Hopefully, the 9-3's reliability and quality will improve. The car looks nice though. The question will be the price point, and how it competes with the ton of other competitors in the entry-luxo market.

i bought a early 1999 production 3er and it has been more reliable if you will than any japanese product ive owned,i know most avoid a 1st year production but in my case there have actually been more issues reported with 2000-2001 models.

i belive starting with the platform the new 9 3 will prove to be much more substantial.As they point out the question is has too much Saab been removed from the car ?, and how will it stand out in the crowd. However even Saab faithful cant be too disapointed in most of the torque steer being removed.....

At 25k and change for a model with standard leather looks like the pricepoint will be a major selling point.

The BMW 3-series is still the standard for entry level luxury cars (even though some G35 owners would debate that), but the more competition and cost savings that occure the better it will be for the average buyer. Personally, I am not a Saab fan, but hope it does well. The better it does, the more other car manufacturers will have to rework their cars to compete. This happened with BMW when the IS300 came out (base models had more standard features).

guess there arent any Saab posters left, oh well, i just posted on the 3er board of my disgust with t a $750.00 price increase on the 3er for MY 03.So much for competition huh ? Guess BMWNA dont think they have any.... far as the extra standard features they also raised the invoice price 1% that year , negating the extra features.What are you shopping for btw ?

Actually, I just recently bought a Subaru WRX. I had tested a used 3-Series with the sport suspension, and the car was not for me.

The G35 intrigued me, but did not come with a stick, could not get it below MSRP, and needed a car.

I will be interested when another comparison test happens with the Saab. The previous one was known as a fun car, if you can get by its idosyncracies.

One last item on the Saab 9-3. The one item that bothers me is the center console layout. Too many buttons. The buttons are small and all are the same size. I know it is minor, but that was the only thing I noticed about the interior that I did not like. A loaded Saab 9-3 below $30K? It will sell, and be a major competitor.

Congrads on your purchase ... wagon or sedan ? . I want to like the Subies, my recent trip to the Poconos were all over the place. Unfortunatly a few things keep me away. One is i cant set in a cloth car without getting a nasty shock! And the other is its a little on the smaller side.Not any worse than a IS mind you, matter a fast to me that IS300 is a joke at 36k, should have been a yota at 24k..

I ended up getting a sedan. I actually liked the the cloth seats in the WRX, but did see one with aftermarket leather coverings. Looked really nice.

The new 9-3 should be bigger on the inside (from the pictures) and definitely looks more luxurious than the WRX. Also, Saabs have a reputation (if I remember correctly) as being a very good bad weather vehicle.

Finally, snow tires might help your current car. People on these boards have been praising the Bliztaks for their bad weather handling.

Saab is a luxury car? Yeah right? Saab wants to compete with the big european carmakers? Fat chance. I just received a promo mailing card regarding the 2003 9-3 and decided to investigate further. My search came to grinding halt when I discovered that the Saab is a FWD vehicle!! If I'm going to drive a "sports sedan" I must have RWD or an optional AWD system at my disposal. Why isn't Saab stepping up to the plate?

I could be wrong, but in a country that gets a lot of winter weather, doesn't it make sense for their auto manufacturers to cater to that market by offering a lot of FWD and AWD vehicles. Doesn't that make sense?

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...the same could be said for Volvo. For years they made nothing but RWD and have only recently gone FWD/AWD AFAIK.

Here in New England we seem to have a disproportianate number of SAABs, Volvos, and Subarus. I remember a local auto writer once bringing up the differences between SAABs and Volvos on the configuration and stated that they both knew how to make a vehicle that performed in snow.

So it seems that anything will work if engineered properly and in capable hands - emphasis on the latter!!

The Linear is scheduled to arrive in showrooms on Oct 1rst, although I have heard that this date has been changed to the 15th. The Arc and the Vector will be available after the first of the year. Seems to me that all three models should have been ready at launch.

Does anyone know when the Navigation system will be available for the 2003 9-3? Many of the pictures of the 9-3 that have appeared on the Web show the "cockpit" with the color, LCD Navigation system; however, the initial information on Saab's website make no mention of it being an option.

I assume the pictures I've seen are actually from the European model. I'm set on getting the Nav system, but wondering how long I might have to wait. (Spare me the Navigation debate -- I have it in my current car and I'm sold on it! I dont deny the "extravagance" arguements, but I want it...)

I believe the Nav system will be available on the Arc and Vectra level 9-3s which will come to NA next Spring and Summer respectively. It will not be an option on the Linear which is set to hit the stores soon.

With luck you will be able to wait until next Spring. The Arc sounds as though it will be quite a nice package.

While I am not necessarily a Nav fan, I really like how well Saab integrated the Nav screen with the rest of the dash.